Saturday, August 04, 2007

Short night...or they might be trying to kill me.

I was awake half of the night, and I still am trying to figure it out.

I co-slept with the babies, not out of want but out of necessity, as DH was deployed with both infants. I also breastfed both babies. So frankly it was easier for me to lie in bed, than it was to get up every 2-4 hours. I co-slept for 15 months with each. And, so it was about 6 months after that until my nights were uninterrupted. I can't remember any longer. But it was a while, before BOTH children were sleeping through the night.

And when it FINALLY happened, it was not lost on me. The first night I got 6 HOURS of sleep in a row, WOW, I felt like a new woman. I felt like I could take on the World.

New Mothers deserve medals. (except for the ones who say, "my baby slept through the night, the first night home from the hospital"- I hate you, a lot of us do...so shhhhhh).

Anyway, Sir Rowland is having "growing pains", at least that is what everyone is calling them. Pain in feet and legs, that mainly manifests itself at night. Normally not a problem. I wake up and make a warm pack, massage it, and sometimes the pain requires I give an analgesic and he goes back to sleep.

But last night I was awakened at 1:30am by Pink Ninja, scared of sleeping in her room. I was too tired to argue. But by gosh, if she is not a thrashy sleeper. It was not fun at all. It was like sleeping with 3 year old.

2:47am. I am awakened by Sir Rowland, moaning, and fussing. Complaining about his feet, and legs.

Yuck, this went on off and on all night. I finally told Pink Ninja she had to leave because she was too wiggle wormy. She woke at her usual 5:45am.

Sir Rowland, finally got to sleep, and I left him alone. He slept in my bed until almost 8:00am.

It was not fun.

I am a picky sleeper. I am a light, light sleeper. That happens to some of us when we become new Mothers. We are afraid we will sleep through the cries of a hungry infant, and so some switch is flipped in our brains. A switch that seems to cause a need for little sleep. I wasn't a light sleeper, until The Collective. I can hear everything. I swear I can hear moths at the porch light. Maybe it is because I am here so frequently alone.

But last night was a great REMINDER how much I LOVE sleep. And how much I hate waking at 2:30am. Ick. I do not like it.

Today will be a great reminder how important sleep is to the children, because I bet...they will be GROUCHY all day.

1 comment:

Megan said...

I am in the middle of this now... the co-sleeping, breastfeeding, waking every hour or two if I'm lucky...

It actually helps knowing that you eventually did get 6 consecutive hours of sleep. Maybe one day I will too...